


A new start

by pinkish



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Meddling, Multi, OT3, post-briarwood, shipper vex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 11:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5705176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkish/pseuds/pinkish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Vax's bad-timing-revelations, Vex decides to meddle in her brother's love life. For his own good and her own sanity, of course.<br/>It's just that she cares about her awkward family and she hates to see them all so sad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A new start

**Author's Note:**

> part of the "52 short stories" prompt on tumblr: http://pansexualpoedamneron.tumblr.com/post/136811793196/52-short-stories-in-52-weeks

Vex was grateful that people tended to ignore her when she was “arrowing” (as Vax called it), despite the fact that she could fletch arrows and restring bows with her eyes closed. It meant that she could look busy and focused while actually keeping an eye on the group of socially misguided people she called family. She leaned back against Trinket, keeping her hands busy with her arrows as she watched as Vax, Keyleth, and Percy studiously ignored each other even when they were all in the same room.

_ Idiot,  _ she thought when she caught her brother staring forlornly off in the distance (he probably imagined that he looked brooding and mysterious, but he just looked  _ boring _ ). It was all his fault -- if he hadn’t gotten all noble and  _ honest _ after almost dying ( _ Twice! The idiot! _ ), none of this would be happening. Everyone would be chatting and laughing and cuddling up to each other like they always did if he hadn’t opened his stupid mouth and declared his love for Keyleth. 

Vex was pretty certain that no one else had seen the look on Percy’s face in that moment. Scanlan might have caught a glimpse, but no one had quite the view she’d had. She had seen the exact moment that Percy’s face shifted from relief at Vax’s survival to a glimmer of -- hope? -- then to despair, which he cleverly concealed by yelling at Vax for failing to  _ jenga _ appropriately. But after he’d finished shouting and hitting, Vex could still see the disappointment around his eyes, could hear the sadness in his voice, in his renewed dedication to enacting his revenge upon those who had hurt him so badly. 

She’d also seen the shock and confusion on Keyleth’s face, but everyone could see that -- even Grog had to have known that Keyleth was taken aback by Vax’s declaration. 

And then Vex had almost died, and the Briarwoods were defeated, and Percy literally conquered his own demon (with Scanlan’s mostly unwanted help), and her stupid brother  _ still _ couldn’t just let things be.

She’d seen when he went trailing after Keyleth, watched him awkwardly walk off, alone, after whatever it was Keyleth said to him -- and again, she was the only one who saw Percy, watching the two of them with a grim expression. 

Since then, the three of them had been insufferable. Vax had visibly sulked like a  _ child _ after Keyleth gave Percy an admittedly odd but so endearingly  _ Keyleth _ gift, Percy sulked whenever he saw Vax staring at Keyleth, and Keyleth sat alone and quiet, vibrating with anxiety.

Vex finished arrowing and made her way to her brother’s side, pushing through his obvious attempt to ignore her. 

“Brother, we need to talk about this.”

“I don’t know what you mean,  _ sister _ ,” he said, over-enunciating the last word. 

Vex rolled her eyes and flopped down next to Vax, motioning Trinket over to sit on his lap and stop him from running away. 

“No fair,” Vax complained -- or, at least, Vex assumed that’s what he said. It was very muffled, coming from under the heavy, furry, armored bear. 

“If you stopped running away every time I tried to talk to you, I wouldn’t have to bring Trinket into this.”   


Trinket growled and nuzzled Vax’s face.

“And anyways,” Vex continued, “he misses you. You’ve been distant. And boring.”

Vax didn’t reply, so Vex took it as permission to continue.

“Just tell me what you were thinking.”   


“I wasn’t---” Vax began, but Vex interrupted him.

“No. You don’t get to pretend like you didn’t mean everything that you did and said. Like you didn’t plan on saying it. You made a choice and now you have to live with the consequences. One of those consequences is talking to me about it,” she said, trying to keep her voice quiet and low, trying to keep the edge of frustration in her voice  _ at _ the edge.

Vax was silent, and Vex absently scratched at Trinket’s ears -- he really was a useful brother-wrangler. “I want to know that you know exactly what you’ve done, brother. You changed --- you changed a lot, and I’m not saying it was  _ wrong _ , just that...well...you can’t just ignore it into not having happened just because it didn’t go exactly the way you imagined.”

She heard a sigh from under Trinket and pushed at the bear to give Vax a bit of breathing room.

“I just,” Vax started, then frowned, then sighed again, “I just wanted to start over.”

Vex waited for her brother to figure out what he was trying to say, and moved closer to the brother-bear pile to offer her support. 

“I wanted to take my chance to do it right, this time. To be honest and to tell the people I love them that I love them. I didn’t want to come home and find that the people I loved were gone again.”

Vex found Vax’s hand and held it tight. “It’s an honorable goal, brother, but---”

“Yes, I know. I’m an idiot. She doesn’t love me back and I’ve ruined everything.”

“You really  _ are _ an idiot.”

“Thanks,” Vax grumbled, but didn’t let go of her hand.

“She does love you. I can see it when she looks at you when you aren’t paying attention.”

“Then why---” Vax’s voice rose, not quite to a shout, but loud enough that Vex knew they’d attract attention.

“Of course she loves you. But it’s not that simple. There’s a lot of ways that you can love someone, you know?”

“I don’t want to hear that she loves me like a brother,” Vax said, scooching out from under Trinket and cuddling up against him.

“No, not like a brother. But I don’t think she loves  _ only _ you. And I don’t think she’s the only one who loves you,” Vex said, stroking her brother’s cheek.   
“You make no sense, Vex.”

“Just do me a favour--”

“Anything.”

  
“Pay attention to Percy.”

“I’m always--” Vax was definitely getting into “whine” territory, so Vex let him see the full force of her eye roll.

“I  _ mean _ really watch him. Today, tonight -- just  _ watch _ him when he thinks you aren’t looking.”

“Alright.”

Vex left her brother curled up next to Trinket, and walked over to Scanlan when he caught her eye. 

“So? Did you tell him he was a world-class asshole?” Scanlan asked in a stage whisper.

Vex laughed. “Pretty much.” She paused, unsure if she should share this particular bit of information with Scanlan, but -- well, he might be a “bag of dicks” as Keyleth was (now?) fond of saying, but he  _ was _ perceptive. He probably already knew. “I told him to pay close attention to Percy today.”

“Good! Good. I’m tired of them being boring, boringer, and boringest. But...” Scanlan paused, “you sure that’s enough? He’s pretty dumb. He might not see it. Are you sure you shouldn’t just  _ tell _ him? I could tell him if you don’t want to --” Scanlan stood up and made as if to walk towards Vax so Vex grabbed the back of his shirt to stop him.

“I don’t think meddling that much will be good for anyone.”

Scanlan sighed, “I was wrong.  _ You’re _ the boringest.”

“Yes, I am. I think, though, that they need to figure this out alone.”

Scanlan raised his eyebrow at her, “And how, pray tell, is your meddling helping them figure this out ‘alone’?” 

Vex chose not to answer the question and, instead, ruffled Scanlan’s hair just to hear the gratifying squawk of frustration it caused.

Her brother taken care of, Vex made her way over to Keyleth, who was meditating -- or, at least, who  _ looked _ like she was meditating -- in the courtyard. Vex could see, though, that her breathing was off. When she was actually meditating, she breathed like the wind and her hair moved like leaves, but she was still and her breath was shaky. 

Vex sat down and waited for Keyleth to notice her. When she did, she let out a quiet little “eep” -- a sound that Vex had only ever heard mice and Keyleth make. 

“You scared me, Vex!” Keyleth said, laughing.   
“Sorry, Keyleth. I didn’t mean to. You looked like you were having trouble meditating, though, so I thought I’d come keep you company.”

“Thanks. I’ve been -- having...trouble focusing since, um. Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, and I don’t really want to talk about it, but, you know. Since.”

“Hmm.” Vex made a noise to let Keyleth know she was listening.   
“Is it--” Keyleth stopped.

“Hmm.” Vex said, very carefully not looking at Keyleth or making any sudden movements.

“Can a person--” Keyleth huffed a frustrated sigh, and Vex continued not moving or speaking.

“Your brother told me he loves me and I didn’t know what to say because, well, I love him too, but I also love someone else -- oh I don’t know why I’m being all mysterious with you you probably already know I’m sure I’m not any good at hiding my feelings so don’t you “Hmm” me, I know what you’re doing--”

  
“Hmm,” Vex said, this time with a smile.

“I love him. But I also love Percy, and I love you and I love Scanlan and Grog, but I love Percy and Vax in a different way but I love them the same. And I don't know what that _means_.”

Vex reached out her hand towards Keyleth and laid it on her knee.

“Can I tell you a secret, Keyleth?”

“Of course!" Keyleth smiled, then her face turned serious, "Vex, you can tell me  _ anything _ , you know that, right?”

Vex tried not to laugh at the sincerity in Keyleth’s voice -- not because she thought it was naive, or embarrassing, but because it was such a Keyleth thing to say  and she didn’t want  _ anything _ to stop Keyleth from being sincere.

“I have this friend. She’s beautiful and kind and she loves so deeply and openly, and for a long time I thought I was in love with her.”

“Who is she?”

Vex kept her grin from her face as she ignored Keyleth’s question and continued. 

“I probably did love her, but I waited too long to realize that’s what it was, and when I took the time to think about it -- to really, really think about it -- she’d become such an important part of my life that I realized I was happier having her as a sister than as a lover, and I don’t regret it for a second.”

“Wait--” Keyleth frowned, then turned to face Vex directly.

“But sometimes I think about the us-that-could-have-been and I wonder -- what if I’d said something? What if I had made a different choice? What if I’d been strong enough to ask for what I wanted when I wanted it? Who would I be? Who would  _ we _ be?”

  
“You were in love with me?” Keyleth’s eyes were large as she leaned towards Vex and held her hands.

“I was,” Vex smiled, “I’m not any more -- not in the same way -- but it’s a big ‘ _ What if?’ _ in my life.”

“So,” Keyleth frowned again, looking down at their joined hands, “why tell me this?”

  
“Because, if there is someone -- are some _ ones _ \-- that you love, I don’t want you to wait until it’s too late to say something, to wait until you have something you’re too scared of losing, until you’ve let the love change into something different. Still good -- still warm and big and important -- but different.”

"I..." Keyleth paused, eyes lost in thought, "I have to meditate, now..."

Vex smiled, then stood up and whistled for Trinket. She heard her brother’s grunt of complaint as his head hit the floor.

As she made her way through the keep to her room, she felt Percy’s gaze and turned to face him. He raised an eyebrow at her, so walked towards him. 

“You know,” she whispered as she paused next to him, “you deserve happiness, darling. No matter what form that takes. Even if it takes the form of two socially awkward but lovable dorks.”

Percy blushed, but she saw his eyes flash with hope, again -- but this time it wasn’t replaced by disappointment.

She woke sometime in the middle of the night and headed down to the kitchen to pick up a midnight snack for her and Trinket, but paused at the door when she heard soft murmurs and the sounds of glasses clinking on a table. She waited, with her breath held, until she could make out the three voices. It wasn’t quite the loud declarations of love she’d been hoping for (she  _ did _ own a number of romance adventure serials, and was kind of -- okay, definitely -- looking forward to see one play out in front of her), but there was also no awkward silences or unpleasant yelling. 

It was a start. 


End file.
